The problem is: You pay peanuts for a service that can backfire and hurt your company more than what you paid for.

Today a clear example:

this was a comment posted in this site

Author : Business Consultant (IP: 117.196.239.157 , 117.196.239.157)
E-mail : henry.jakson@gmail.com
URL    : http://www.sagestrategy.com/sage_coaching_mentoring.html
Whois  : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=117.196.239.17

Comment:
Thank you for highlighting blogs that focuses on such important matters.

obviously the comment is Spam because I have found the SAME spam in different blogs poiting to SAGE Strategy

The Spam comes from an Indian IP

source:       APNIC

role:           NS Cell
address:        Internet Cell
address:        Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
address:        8th Floor,148-B Statesman House
address:        Barakhamba Road, New Delhi - 110 001
country:        IN
phone:          +91-11-23734057
phone:          +91-11-23710183
fax-no:         +91-11-23734052

So it’s clear.. they are outsourcing Link Building to India. Ok…

So here are the dangers:

The SEO expert from India, obviously is trying to get Mark Fraser from SAGE Strategy ranked for the keyword: Business Consultant, and they are targeting my BLOG because I’m 1st in Google Australia for SEO consultant. Until there… everything seems ok.

But the SEO expert in India… get’s paid peanuts and really doesn’t care for Mark Fraser reputation, so the SEO guru…  uses software that finds dofollow blogs with relevant keywords… the software then sends automatic messages that little have to do with the post in mention.  Zero value. Stupid comments… all of them just towards getting one backlink to your site.

Not only the comment is spam… but the comment creates a lovely footprint that gives me the capacity of finding all the spam-actions they have taken towards boosting their ranking.

The concerning part:

the concerning part in my point of view is that this is an Australian company spamming an Australian website. Not only that… get ready for this:

Sage Strategy offers web marketing services – so why is a web marketing company in Australia using these type of techniques to rank higher?

Well, there are 2 potential reasons:

1) they have little idea about web marketing and zero idea about SEO

2) they simply believe that outsourcing SEO to India will provide them top results in Google Australia vs the top Business consultants in the country.

I don’t know which of these 2 options is more scary.

So… is outsourcing SEO to India worth the money?

Yes.

Yes if you have a hobby.
Yes if your site is not directly related to your brand, to your company philosophy and your marketing strategy.

What is the result of this type of activity (blog spamming) ?

Well, in the case of Sage Strategy… I have flagged the spam message and therefor Akismet has some record about the action… and I guess the next time someone googles the name of the company.. they will find my post.

When do you need to outsource?

I think the question needs to be, when can you afford to outsource your SEO… , and my answer is: when you understand the game, when you know what exactly they are doing for you.

How they are doing it.

What system they use to get your links

What is the strategy behind.

Who is really behind.

What tools they use and WHY.

Only when you know how links are being build to your site and how this links are going to benefit your link building strategy, you should think of outsourcing.

Worth the effort?

I don’t think so…

But we will wait and see… if in 1 year they are in top 10 in Google for Business consultant,
then I guess I was wrong and the SEO experts in India being paid 5 aussie dollars where right.

For all of you Spammers… this is for you:

That my friends are the Parasites: the “  I wanna be the next Facebook… but Instead of creating something new, I will make a similar site and create a different logo and work hard to convince people that I’m a real entrepreneur ”

But that people… are NOT an entrepreneur… in the same way I’m not an Astronaut.

That’s why I find funny when sites like Five Aussie Dollar come along, and Parasites decide to announce that paying $5 or $25 is the solution to ESCAPE from the High SEO fees that Australian SEO consultants and professionals charge to their customers.

In the words of Five Aussie Dollars…

“All the seo stuff will eventually be taken over by outsourcers, if we platform owners create a presence here in Australia. As you know the seo fees are expensive, all they ever do was the same stuff outsourcers do for seo.. but charges insane amounts of money, just to be ahead in the business.”

….

…..

mmm… NOW I’m concern… because this means that in a few weeks, or even months: I will be out of business.

So I decided to visit Five Aussie Dollars and Analise the quality of the service.

Are you ready for some fun? here we go:

“I will submit your site to 3000 backlink sites and directories to get your site indexed for $5″

I love this one… because the poster even confessed that he/she will use software to create this “links” … so here we go guys: You invest $5 for 3000 backlinks.

My question is: how much will you need to spend to recover from the too fast link accumulation penalty imposed by Google spam bot?

Then the OWNER of Five Aussie Dollar decides to Show us his amazing SEO skills… with the best combo EVER.

I will Create Over 3000 Backlinks for your website & submit your URL to 50 Search Engines & Submit URL to 20 Directories for $25

So in this case, we are getting 3000 backlinks but some extra juice.. 50 Submission to Search Engines (mmm very useful ) and 20 directories submissions (mmm again HUGE in the SEO arena, back in the late 90′s).

My question is: who in the right mind buys this packages? who will buy 3000 links without having any clear idea where the links are coming from?
from spam?
From blog commenting software that floods the internet like REAL parasites?
from where are the 3000 links coming? What are the authority? what is the relevance?

But then came the best offer/deal… the one that show me that this site… is simply a joke waiting for jokers to waste their money.

Are you ready? Please welcome… the illegal hacker… being promoted in an Australia website!

mmm not good for sure. Not only this is illegal… is a serious offense to promote actions that may result in criminal acts… even online. Maybe Dave (the owner of Five Aussie Dollar… needs to read a bit about some Rules to keep in mind while running a website.

So my overall conclusion: For sure a nice idea (the original one) but not a serious option to find any proper solution. Although Dave, the owner seems over excited about his discovery , clearly has very little idea about Public relations and how to build trust with the end user.

The point is not to pay just $5… because I can pay $5 to anyone out there.

Do Small Businesses value their business worth $5 ? Worth $5 for a logo? Or even $25? Is the image of  your company worth $25? What about your website Authority? Or your backlink strategy? Is that worth $25….

Well if you only have $5 to invest, then I guess you get what you paid for.

And Dave, if you are reading this, please post a comment.. I will give you a $5 per comment you post. (just email me your paypal and I will send you the $5 straight to your account !)

Post 4 times… and you can make $20 bucks mate… ! what are you waiting for?

They choose Netregistry Traffic Accelerator Pro (sorry guys, no links from me)

So the deal is :

They offer a monthly package for $499… where in a few words they offer you a lot of SERVICES… but not REALLY any SEO service .

Let me explain. What Netregistry does is the typical pricing and product strategy of many “Internet Solutions” companies.

The Netregistry Traffic Accelerator Pro seems to be designed to fit businesses with ZERO understanding of what to expect in an SEO package.

Let me explain my point of view:

The Traffic Accelerator Pro starts with a Submission to Search Engines…. —> Oh my god not again the same stupidity PLEASE!

then it moves to a lot of “descriptive” services that deep inside can be done in mmmm 30 minutes?

Let’s go step by step to all the services they offer (that are indeed things you can do FREE):

XML sitemap generation – Can be done for free example:

Website analytics setup – do you mean google analytics? How difficult is this to setup?

Website analytics goal setting – mmm 2 minutes?

Google maps submission – mmm 3 minutes? Ok… may be 5 minutes.

Google webmaster tools – mmm I’m confused mister Netregistry, how can you offer ME a service that is in fact FREE for any webmaster?

Moderated directory submission – I love the word moderate… because it simply tell you: Hey you don’t need to know how many directories we use or submit to. Just trust us: Is morerate.

Social media setup – I love this one… this MUST be (I’m just guessing) twitter account creation and mmm facebook page?

So overall the “setup service…costs $499… and your site hasn’t improve AT ALL – not yet… but hey! smile ! you are $499 poorer than before.

Let’s continue with the Traffic Accelerator Pro

Then Netregistry moves to the SEO analysis… I know this stage , this is when we tell you a lot of things, we tell you the objectives but mmmm we don’t really do anything to achieve it.

Because we forget to tell you : IS ALL ABOUT THE LINKS!!!!

But it seems that the Traffic Accelerator Pro talks a lot about heaps of great services like , access to their newsletter, consultancy, web ranking report, and great stuff like “unlimited support”…

but the important PART… the SERIOUS PART that you want to know when buying the Netregistry Traffic Package should be the link building….

What do you get for your money?
Exactly how many links?
Where are these links coming from?
What is the authority of the links?
How are the links obtained?

Well… in this key “section” of the service, it seems Netregistry seems to be pretty quiet

This is what I found in the description

Link Building

External link build – inbound / outbound –> outbound link building? What exactly do you mean? Don’t tell me you are going to send links OUT of peoples website… oh god I smell link exchange here… ALERT, ALERT, ALERT!

And then I see the other services

Links page management —> There you go…. for sure they build their sites with “link exchange systems” .

So my conclusion: save your money, use the $499 of the setup and avoid paying for a monthly service that clearly brings ZERO value for small businesses websites.

Does this “package” works? I seriously doubt it…  mainly because Netregistry fails to reveal where the links come from and I predict a lot of the “SEO services” have nothing to do with link building…

The scary part if that Netregistry has a good network of affiliates or reselling selling this service.

This is their pitch:

We’ll also install tracking software on your site to assist us in gathering audience data from your customers to help us continue to customise your site for optimum performance and help you to generate more leads. This premium service is only charged at $5,980 for 12 months.

So there you go boys and girls… that why SEO companies are so rich… while us, SEO professionals are so… mmm Rich in love?

ahh but At least the good thing of the package is …. mmm you get your own Netregistry Nurse… (you will need the Nurse after you see your ranking NOT increasing !)

But what is interesting is when the “link exchange” spam comes from an Australian Marketing and SEO company.

Yesterday I enjoy an email from Cameron Norsworthy from a so-called SEO company in Perth.

The email started like this

Hello,

I would love to exchange links with you, I have 2 web design sites, please see the text below. Please add my link to a relevant (theme: marketing, web design, seo etc) website and send me the link. I will then add your site to my sites

The funny thing is that Cameron websites,  Wave Marketing and Wave SEO (sorry no links today!) are sites with ZERO Pagerank, ZERO Authority and I bet ZERO Traffic.

Although this is OK… what kills me is how non-original Cameron was to request a link exchange from me.

Some typical lame mistakes done by compulsive link exchangers

1. Copy and paste template: If you are going to ask me for a link… at least write a unique email. Don’t be lazy .. come on dude a bit of an effort and try at least to tell me in your own words

a) who are you? Tell me your story… inspire me!

b) why should we exchange links with YOU?

c) Why did you choose my site?

2.  Harvest my email : Obviously Cameron decides to ENGAGE my attention by writing : Hello ! … instead of … “hey Gabriel, I love your website and I have read all your articles. How are you mate?”

The thing that makes me upset is that an Australian “SEO Expert” uses this LAME tactics to get a backlink. Come on ! Is this as good as it gets?

3. Link Exchange Tactics are Useless : And this is the most scary part. If you really know about SEO, you don’t go wasting your time by asking for link exchange… specially NOT to other SEO companies.  It is time to dance to the 2010 Google tune.  Do you really think Link exchange works? Do you really think that sending emails asking for link charity is the proper link building path to go?

It is time to act like a real internet marketing company: Create your own links for god sake.
Go and create authority content, be part of communities, write articles, reports, provide value and then links will start coming in a natural way.

So to recap:

1). Whatever happen avoid any company that offers you in their SEO packages any link exchange solution or strategy: They are wasting your time and money.

2) If you get an email from Cameron Norsworthy requesting a backlink to his PERTH SEO business… give him the following links to feed his SEO brain cells:

http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-mistakes-link-exchange-emails/

http://seo2.0.onreact.com/3-way-link-exchange-with-seo-spammers-is-a-dead-end

3) Be smart, be original… use creativity to create back links : there are THOUSANDS OF ways to go to get backlinks… so instead of “begging” for links. Go out there and show the world how good you are. Instead of aiming to be a link exchange spammer be a Link Building Superstar… o a freaking Ninja like me

So Cameron if you are reading this: Dance with the tune of the the Video Below….

I bet the answer to my quick poll is D…

The tool that I used is http://websitegrader.com a way to “Grade” the SEO quality of your site.
I seriously doubt my site is a scored 99…. that’s why I decided to try to “grade” other sites.

ready?

Let’s do it…

Google Grade ….. 98 (oops Sorry Matt Cuts people… Internet Ninja is better than you!)

So what about Yahoo ..?

The funny thing is the tag line at the end of the “grading”
“The website yahoo.com ranks 3,885 of the 2,533,421 websites that have been ranked so far. ”

So I decided to go for the ultimate challenge and Grade the GRADER… Grade the master… how high does Websitegrade grades itself?

Mmmm…. I rest my case.

Overall websitegrade site is worth nothing if you are serious about SEO.

The resuls are very poor. The analytics are even worse… if you want to waste 5 minutes of your life, then use it… but if you really want to get SERIOUS data don’t waste your time .
At least.. I’m not the only person that thinks websitegrader is a bad idea.

so that’s why I decided to compile a list of the top SEO jokes.. many of them are not extremely funny, but if you don’t laugh… is because for sure your ranking sucks and you need to hire me. ( Remember I’m an SEO guru ) 

SEO Jokes – compiled by Gab
SEOs are safe from the threat of automation taking over their professions. No one would build a robot to do nothing.

If it weren’t for SEOs, we wouldn’t need them.

Talk is cheap…until SEOs get involved.

It is the trade of SEOs to question everything, yield nothing, and to talk by the hour.

Thomas Jefferson :
* How was copper wire invented?
Two SEOs were arguing over a penny.

Two SEOs were walking along negotiating a case. “Look,” said one, “let’s be honest with each other.” “Okay, you first,” replied the other. End of discussion.

SEOs are the only profession where the more there are, the more are needed!

Old SEOs never die, they just lose their rankings.

What are SEOs good for?
They make used car salesmen look good.

What do you call 100 SEOs at the bottom of the ocean?

A good start!
(mmm that one is pretty BAD)

What do you call 25 skydiving SEOs?
Skeet.

What does molds, ooze, pond scum and SEOs have in common?
They’re all slime.

What does pond scum have more of than SEOs?
Respect.

What is the definition of a shame (as in “gee, that’s a shame”)?
When a tour bus full of SEOs goes over a cliff.
What is the definition of a “crying shame”?
There was an empty seat on the bus.

* What’s the difference between SEOs and vampires?
Vampires only suck blood at night.

* Why did New Jersey get all the toxic waste and California all the SEOs?
New Jersey got first pick .

Why do they bury SEOs 20 feet under?
Because deep down, they’re really good people.

* Why don’t hyenas eat SEOs?
Even hyenas have some dignity.

* How many SEOs does it take to shingle a roof?
About 3 1/2, but you need to slice them pretty thin.

* It has been discovered that SEOs are the larval stage of politicians.

* Why should SEOs wear lots of sunscreen when vacationing at a beach resort?
Because they’re used to doing all of their lying indoors.

* Why won’t sharks attack SEOs?
Professional courtesy.

* The problem with SEOs jokes is that most SEOs don’t think they are funny, and most people don’t understand that they’re just jokes!

Hey, this site is now ranking nr. 1 in Google!
Reply: Ok, and what if you turn your personalized search off?

“You might be an SEO if…”
“On your honeymoon, you put a “nofollow” sign on the door…

Question: What’s the difference between an “SEO Consultant” and a used car salesman?

Answer: The used car salesman knows when he is lying…..
SEO Anonymous Meeting
Hi, My name is Michael and in the past 5 years the longest I’ve gone without checking stats or email messages is 3 days …

Matt Cutts and the two SEOs

Matt Cutts was speaking at a conference and two SEOs came into the hall, yelling and screaming at each other. The audience looked angry but no one said anything as the two SEOs sat down in the back of the room. Matt went on with the rest of his presentation and then he opened the floor for questions.

After a few minutes one of the two noisy SEOs in the back of the room raised his hand. Matt reluctantly called upon him. “Can you tell me why my buddy gets to spam your index but every time I put up a new site your algorithm bans me?”

The second SEO says, “Hey, wait a minute! I’m not a spammer!”

Matt holds his hands up for calm before a fight erupts. “Let’s not be nasty here,” he says. “Let’s first make sure your friend is spamming.”

The first SEO is quiet for a moment, then shrugs, leans down, and types a few things into his laptop. “Okay,” he says. “He’s spamming. Now what?”

SEO Intelligence

An Announcement of the Contraction SPAM

S = SITES
P = PLACED
A = ABOVE
M = MINE

Google PR is important,  Compare it to a wife. It’s there. you know it’s there, but there is nothing you can do about it.

I try to believe I’m in the second category. I barely pay for advertisement… and I can barely take any other new customer. In fact… I have more SEO clients that many SEO companies out there… but regardless of the number of clients, the main point is : I do not spend money in advertisement. Therefor I need to be smart with my marketing efforts.
I need to think… think … think… of smart and interesting ways to bring clients/leads to my websites.

That’s why I find funny when I see Marketing that SUCKS – but more when the Brain behind the marketing ad is in fact a Marketing Company.

What I’m talking here is about the latest “advertorial” in FlyingSolo Website.

How does an Advertorial works?

Well.. let’s read it in Flying Solo site

“In addition to banner advertising, we also offer a paid-for advertorial option which runs like an article and includes up to 650 words and images.

Prices for banners and advertorials depend on volumes and specific bookings and tend to be bought as part of a broader advertising campaign. Typically used by larger businesses, these campaign spends are generally $3,000 or more.”

The sad thing of this… is how bloody boring the “advertorial is”

Value = zero

Quality = zero

Urgency factor = zero

Originality = zero

Score = 100% failure.

This is my original post in FlyingSolo.

I have no idea if this is going to remain at the forum… I have the feeling they may delete the original threat

———-
I love how paid advertisement works… more or less if you are willing to pay you can post any type of info, even if the content/articles has ZERO content and ZERO value for the reader

Gosh FlyingSolo – I just lost 2 minutes of my time reading this.

http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/technology/business-websites/need-a-new-website

What about this crazy idea:
Have your advertisers write something with some kind/type of value…
Or may be with some type of real content.
I believe if your advertisers PROVIDE VALUE they will get a better response from your readers.

So… let’s try next time Value over… the direct plug to “contact us”

I mean.. readers expect a bit more – even from PAID Content or advertorial.

What concerns me is not flyingsolo publishing this type of ad…

But shows how how boring the advertiser is.

Man… if I had the opportunity to promote my services in the frontpage of Flyingsolo I will provide a kickass article about my industry and real tips to help the readers… then the leads will flow…

The most exciting content of the whole “article” is…
““ If you mention Flying Solo when you speak to a member of our team, we will give you an exciting discount. ”

Holy cow… talking about compelling marketing .

So there you go guys… Do you need a website?

———-

So understanding that the guys of the “the Web Showroom” (the creators of the amazing flying solo ad)… need some help regarding Original Marketing

here we go guys: some ideas to inspire your Marketing Brain!

I found a very nice site called “Ashley Centre” . Ashley Centre has a BIG marketing company called: Well, please visit the site and check the link in the footer. This big Marketing company is for sure is a BIG FISH in the SEO/Marketing/PPC company… one of that companies that you consider a “real company” (not like me lol ) .
In their website, in their case study claim that they have worked with Ashley Centre for over 6 years… and when you visit this marketing agency website , you think… “gosh this guys know what they are doing” .

That’s why when I did the link analysis I was expecting to find solid links… serious links from web 2 sites, from authority sites, etc.

But, oh boy I was wrong: What I found was WordPress Spam… oh yeah… not the kind of of WordPress Spam that says “hey nice blog, good article bro!”… but instead the one that says

“Acne Treatment: For Acne Treatment, Acne Tests, Acne diagnosis, Acne Symptoms & Natural Acne Treatments Melbourne Australia; contact The Ashley Centre in Melbourne. ”

Obviously the wordpress post they posted HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ACNE… and they where taking clear advantage of the fact that the post was auto-approved. Mmm the true nature of the real blog spammer!

So my reaction? Well, I decided to contact them… because, they are a SERIOUS company, charging SERIOUS bucks.. they can’t just be spamming like any Nigerian Spammer spams my wordpress blogs every single day…

So this was my email:
—————————————————-

Hi Guys

Gabriel here, from NSW…. I was looking at your site and I noticed you work with

“The Ashley Centre”

I noticed this mainly because I have found some wordpress-blog spam aiming to target the keyword Acne Treatment .

Examples:

http://blogs.lvc.edu/green/post/Sustainable-Dining.aspx

and

http://www.kyleheon.com/articles/2009/09/18/xml-caching-in-asp-net-can-be-dangerous-to-your-health

In fact I found many other examples.

I’m curious if this is part of Alkemi Link building strategy? WordPress blog spam… ? Your comments have no relation with the posts and clearly they are spam.

Can you please clarify this for me?

Thanks guys!

—————————————————-

The good thing is that I got a reply pretty fast and here it is:

Hi Gabriel,

I appreciate you bringing this to my attention….

(Based on the legal disclaimer I can’t add anything more)

But overall they say… hey Gabriel, thanks for letting me know… OMG I had no idea…

* Yeah Right !

—————————————————-

So my conclusion: Mmm … it seems regardless how BIG the company is and how important THEIR CUSTOMERS are… many SEO companies in Australia seem to have very little idea about how to provide value link building.

I know what you are thinking: “Hey, but they can prove to you they can rank a site in 1st position.

Yes.. you are right… but by spamming wordpress blogs, they just leave a trail of easy links for any competitor to find, match and follow…

is that all there is?

Is that the REAL marketing strategy of a Top SEO company?

So what do you need to learn from this is:

1. If you are an SEO expert… don’t be a lazy b*st*rd and do your job properly. Don’t go out there and spam wordpress posts about Sarah Palin when your clients website has to do with Liposuction Services. Be smart, do a proper effort, build web 2 sites, post good articles, send links to that articles, increase the PR of your own web 2 pages, get your PR featured in a serious authority site…  and avoid leaving a trail of auto-approval blogs .

2. If you are a company looking to hire a “BIG marketing company” well do your homework… just because they have an CEO and a cool fancy office in Sydney CBD, it doesn’t mean they have any clear clue about Link Building or SEO…

* Update: I just check on this “Marketing Agency” website and they also do link building for Optus Business Solutions… and guess what? Yep… more WordPress Spam..  LOL this guys are simply amazing!

Usually the web guy is always at the look out of any other company “stealing” their clients and to prevent this, it has created an illusion that his/her job is extremely complicate, difficult and impossible to be replaced by any other company that doesn’t understand how the clients website really works.

The funny thin is that usually this web people are not experts in one topic, they know a bit about almost every single topic, but when it comes to the reality of their knowledge, their information is usually tricks and tips from the past, or info they learned from a book or a quick “how to develop websites” 2 day seminar.

So am I attacking people with knowledge about Internet and Design that are trying to make a living? No… well, yes… let me explain this.

The problem with Internet experts these days is that in fact they are not experts, it seems we live in a culture of fake it until you make it, in the culture where experts just need to publish a certificate of “I’m an expert in Google” and voila! they become an expert in Google technology. The reality is, that I’m an expert in many things. I’m an expert in Nuclear Science, specially when I talk to my 3 year old son about it. I’m also an expert in turbo compressors design in the new Airbus design, specially when I talk to my 4 month old baby.

Do you get my point? In the kingdom of the Blind the man with one eye is the king…

So what is the problem with “web guys” and “web ladies” that love to kidnap small business websites? The problem is their ignorance and their need to be experts in everything. The problem is their lack of understanding that Internet Technology, SEO and Algorithms are in constant flow. God! How many times I have heard web ladies and web guys telling me that a site without Meta-tags can’t rank in Google…. how many time I heard the same questions like:

Should I submit my website to search engines?

What small companies need to realize is that they need to hire experts in one topic, not mediocre wanna-be-super-Internet-heroes , because usually that wanna-be experts even if they try as hard as possible, they will failed.

If you look for a Web Designer, you need to find one that has a portfolio of Amazing websites.

If you need a logo design, you need to find a Logo Design that kicks ass…

Can I design logos? Sure…
can I design websites? Sure.

Can I design fantastic logos? No.

Can I design amazing website templates and design? No.

That’s why I outsource these type of services to people that just do that for living. Real experts. People that live and breath every day their job, people that love their job and people that want to be the best.

So that’s why I think the “web guy” is in extinction, sooner or later the “super-webmaster” will  die in loneliness, specially because when you try to do to many different things without the right skills, you will fail.

A web designer + logo designer + hosting guru + google adword + programmer + SEO expert will never deliver as many SEO results than the full time SEO consultant.

Why? Because while the web guy is doing logos… the SEO consultant is improving, it’s getting better, it’s building a better structure, a stronger service and product.

That’s why Internet Ninja believes in the art of working towards one objective: In being the best in what you do. Choose one path, work hard, become the best, provide results and be amazing at what you do.